November 8-23, 2013, Oklahoma City

Junior Cutting

Repeat for John Wold, new win for Fort Worth Pipeline

by Christine Hamilton
The American Quarter Horse Journal

On November 12, John Wold of Argyle, Texas, rode back into the Jim Norick Arena for the junior cutting finals of the AQHA World Championship Show. He’d come to protect his 2011 world championship on his homebred George C Merada.

But this time he rode a mare, Fort Worth Pipeline, owned by Lisa Bankston of Westworth Village, Texas. His turnback help in the finals included his competition: Phil Rapp, Josh Townsend, Guy Woods and Sean Flynn.

“There was a big, red Brahman cow that I thought would have a lot of move to her,” John said in his Journal Winning Run. “When she settled, she was real feely…. She paid a lot of attention to the herd settling horse. But when I drove her out, she was numb and wouldn’t drive. She turned around and pinned me against the herd … my mare did everything we could with her.

“On my second calf, we went in a little deeper and came out with one that had a lot more move and got to cover some ground and show that filly stopping and doing what she does best.

“And then on the third cow, it was a cow of opportunity in the right place. I had a really nice draw: I was sixth in the set, so there were plenty of fresh cows.”

The go earned a 221 from the five judges, and the score held through all 16 goes. Guy Woods and the stallion Ichi La Roo came closest with a 218.5 to win the reserve.

“Any time you go in cutting, you just want to get your job done and exhibit your horse to the best of your ability and/or hers,” John said. “So I could say I was fairly confident that she was going to give me her best, and it was just up to (whether or not) we could get it executed.”

Fort Worth Pipeline is a homebred for Lisa Bankston. The mare is a 2008 daughter of Cats Merada and out of Fort Worth Skyline by Mr Skyline Peppy; she has just under $30,000 in National Cutting Horse Association competition, to date. John’s Furst Ranch is home to her sire, Cats Merada.

“This mare was originally trained by Sean Flynn, and I was going to catch ride her at the (NCHA) Futurity,” John said. “But his No. 2 went down so he showed her and didn’t really have much success with her. He asked me if I would take her and the owners wanted me to ride her.

“I was more than happy to have her; I don’t have another 4-year-old of her caliber and so we went through a little bit of growing pains but we’ve been doing better and better.”

He added: “I like her because she’s gritty and she’s cowy and she’s athletic and she’s beautiful. She’s a cool horse. I like her a lot.”

John wanted to thank “Jimmy and Lisa Bankston, and my wife, Amy, and my assistant trainer Dana Lebsack,” and his herd help, of course.

But the evening wasn’t over yet. He had senior cutting left to go with last year’s junior cutting world champ, George C Merada. Would he make it a repeat win for his Furst Ranch homebred gelding?